U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,087 discloses a high pressure pump. The pump has a plunger or pump piston linearly movable within a pump chamber during stroking of the pump. A suitable coupling is depicted for interconnecting the pump piston and drive housing output rod.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,229 discloses a high pressure fluid delivery system. The high pressure fluid system has a plunger with a threaded end for connection to a driving source which reciprocates the plunger along the longitudinal axis thereof.
Prior art FIG. 1 discloses a sectional view of a high pressure pump having an “L” or sectional design. FIG. 1 generally illustrates the components which form the pump. The pump has a fluid end assembly 10. The pump has a power end assembly 12. A frame 14 connects the fluid end assembly 10 to the power end assembly 12. The cross head 32 of the pump is positioned within the power end assembly in an orientation which would place the plunger 16 at the end of its suction stroke or beginning of its discharge stroke if the plunger 16 were assembled to the plunger adaptor 30.
FIG. 1 shows the fluid end assembly 10 partially disassembled to illustrate how one typically removes plunger 16 from the high pressure pump. Removal of the plunger 16 requires disassembly of suction manifold 18 from fluid cylinder block 20. Disassembly requires unscrewing bolts 22 to release suction manifold 18 from cylinder block 20. Additionally, removal of the plunger requires removal of suction valve assembly 24 from valve seat support 26 of fluid cylinder block 20. Once the suction manifold and valve assembly have been removed, one can remove plunger 16 by pulling plunger 16 axially away from the pump's power end 12a and fluid end 10a, thereby uncoupling an end 17 of a plunger 16 from coupling 28 of pony rod or plunger adaptor 30. The plunger is thus removed in the direction shown by arrow 31.